Libya’s military chief, 7 others killed in Turkiye plane crash
text_fields
Ankara: Libya’s top military commander, Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, along with four other officers and three crew members, were killed when their private jet crashed in Turkiye on Tuesday, authorities said. The Libyan delegation was returning to Tripoli after holding high-level defence talks in Ankara aimed at strengthening military cooperation between the two countries.
The Falcon 50-type business jet took off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport at 8:30 pm, but contact was lost about 40 minutes later. The plane had reported an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing, being redirected back to Esenboga. However, it disappeared from radar while descending, the Turkish presidential communications office said. Wreckage was later found near Kesikkavak village in Haymana, about 70 km south of Ankara.
The other Libyan officers who died were Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, head of Libya’s ground forces; Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, head of the military manufacturing authority; Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, advisor to the chief of staff; and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer. The identities of the three crew members have not been released. Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the deaths on Facebook, calling it a “tragic accident” and a “great loss” for Libya.
Search and recovery teams on Wednesday intensified operations at the crash site, securing the area and looking for the aircraft’s flight recorders, after heavy rain and fog overnight. The Turkish disaster management agency (AFAD) set up a mobile coordination centre, while gendarmerie police sealed off the site. Specialised tracked ambulances were deployed to navigate the muddy terrain. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya is expected to visit the site along with prosecutors leading the investigation. Libya will also send a team to assist Turkish authorities.
During the Ankara visit, al-Haddad had met with Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and other officials. The delegation’s trip came a day after Turkiye’s parliament extended the mandate of Turkish troops in Libya for two years. Turkiye has deployed forces in support of Libya’s western-based government following a 2019 military cooperation agreement but has also recently taken steps to improve ties with the eastern-based administration.
Al-Haddad, who led western Libya’s military, played a key role in UN-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s divided armed forces. His death represents a significant blow to ongoing attempts at stabilising the country, which has remained fragmented since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.
With PTI inputs